Need to get a new point and shoot camera and a housing. Need help deciding.
So i am now in the market for a new point and shoot camera and housing following the demise of my old canon ixus 500 and housing after i used them as a signaling device. I don't recommend that by the way.
I was not going to replace them but after doing a few dives since i can't go back to coming up and not having a permanent copy of those memories. Just on a side note has anyone else noticed that when you don't take a camera diving the fish seem to swim alot slower and pose for photos more often.
So what i'm basically asking is for some advice as to what people recommend. I don't want to spend a fortune but my girlfriend will probably use it traveling when we aren't underwater as she doesn't know /want to know how to use our slr.
thanks
Reply to this I was checking out a similar type of camera and the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW seems pretty cool for a point and click. I think it's the one I'll be getting.
It's waterproof up to 33 FT, you can drop it from 7 feet and it doesn't hurt the camera, it can handle the cold, and it can handle 220 pounds of pressure on it. It's like a little tank in terms of cameras.
I'm not sure if it's what you'd be looking for, but it'll be perfect for me for white water rafting, scuba, general bumps and bruises of trekkin'.
Good luck!
Reply to this hey i had an olympus SW, model before 1030, was extremely happy with it, got really good in the water shots etc. but i took it snorkeling (no where near more than 33ft) and it got water in it. now i cannot turn it off, still takes pics but have to take battery out and to scared to take it underwater now.....pretty annoying. still under warranty but have to send it home and then im without a cam.....
it might be 1 in a million but still not to happy.....
but on the plus side i have a friend who uses the same cam for diving and he loves it
Reply to this Yeah the earlier underwater models all seem to say they should only be taken about 10 feet or so in depth. I think this new one is the only one that allows 33 feet. With that said, I will still be a little nervous to try to bring it to 33 feet. I may be a little more reserved with it.
Good to know that your friend enjoys his cam though. Sorry to hear yours isn't doing so well.
Reply to this So it seems these days the dream rig, for those who can't afford a $3k US dollar housing for a DSLR (that would be everyone I know), is a Canon G9 and a housing. The G9 uses an amazing sensor which can capture DSLR quality pictures with all of the same manual controls we DSLR users love. Its expensive for a point and shoot but well worth it. A few pro photographers have actually won awards competing against DSLR users. That's a pretty tough accomplishment with a point and shoot due to the smaller sensor size. Small sensors = more noise!
Reply to this I've done just that (Canon G9 - replacing Canon Ixus 800is) - after diving in Brazil with a divemaster who had the G9 - and looking at the quality of his underwater ISO 800 shots compared to the 850is - definitely worth the upgrade. I've yet to use the combination - but I know it will be good.
It costs about $600 for the combination - the housing is good to 40m/120ft - it has every control accessible.
The point and shoots will go from wide angle to macro very easily - an advantage over an DSLR, are smaller, cost less, shots are easier to make due to using the LCD screen, etc etc.
The only limitation I can think of compared to DSLRs is that I don't see any way to mount a strobe... maybe someone has a solution for that too...
Reply to this I would recommend aquapac. This is probably not good enough for what you want but it was great for me. They sell cases which will fit practically every camera and they are considerably cheaper and lighter than the plastic housing previously mentioned. It is a really good option is you want to go rafting, kayaking etc and don't want to take you camera unprotected in case it gets wet. I would of saved myself having to replace my camera if I had followed my own advice!
Reply to this It turned out what happened to the camera was covered under our travel insurance, the insurance said they would cover it to the full replacement value. In fine print down the bottom it also said minus depreciation that would be worked out by the travel insurance company.
I bought the camera 3 years ago for $569, the insurance company assessed the replacement value of my camera at now being $6. cheap bastards.
Moral of the story
1. Don't bang your camera underwater
2. Don't use Mondial insurance (although i imagine they are all quite similar).
I will eagerly anticipate your next lot of underwater photos Ali before making my next purchase but the G9 sounds like a good thing. Where do you think you will be diving next?
The olympus just doesn't have a good enough depth at only 10m for the diving i would be doing.
Thanks for all your suggestions
Reply to this Fuji F30 or F31 Fd. Lowest noise at high ISO around (although haven't compared with newer models such as Canon G9). Amazing battery life. Adequate but not fantastic Point and Shoot above water.
Don't get the newer models - more photosites in the sensor means more noise means more noise reduction means softer, less sharp photos. Macro mode works well. Got some nice shots but alas haven't posted them anywhere.
Relatively cheap coz so old. Housing is also cheap. Also small for an underwater rig - easy to lug around.
Biggest problem - you need xD picture cards which are now defunct - not a problem but it is a problem finding a sensible portable xD card reader.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf30/
Bought the external flash also but found it very hard to control. Probably a combination of it is hard to control, and user ignorance.
You may also like the look of Inon UWL-105 AD underwater wide angle lens or, if very rich, the Inon UFL-165 AD underwater fish eye lens. You can get a mount for these for most point and shoot housings. The former is probably twice the price of the camera and the latter four times but the wide angle gives the chance to actually compose photos, rather than just take closeups of little critters and bits of coral.
In the UK you can get them from www.camerasunderwater.co.uk, who advised me and have samples taken using them.
Reply to this Just bought the Olympus stylus 1030 SW, 8mp, 2 gb storage. $350.
Looks like a tough peice of work to me...
Reply to this I can vouch for the Fuji F31FD - I got it wet in Thailand just on the beach and so then bought an Olympus 790SW - Shockproof and slightly waterproof. However the picture quality is nowhere near close to the Fuji so it has hardly been used. I then bought a Panasonic TZ3, which I can also vouch for (the TZ stands for Travel Zoom) as this camera packs a 10x zoom and wide angle lense into it's small body. It has gave me the best outdoor shots but the smaller more pocketable fuji performs slightly better in low light and has an incredible battery life, it just keeps on going on one charge to about 500 shots!
Both cameras have a housing you can buy for them.
Here are my best TZ3 Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26014850@N03/
I love using the wideangle (16:9) mode
Reply to this I have a Aquapac. They are great even if it rains heavily and it stops sand setting in your camera.
Reply to this We've just purchased an underwater housing for our exisitng Canon IXY to take on our next trip - We settled on the Dicapac - http://www.dicapac.com/. It worked out well when we took some pics of the rubber ducky in the bath!! We've got a canoe trip coming up, and some snorkeing planned, and already travel with a Nikon DSLR so we wanted something that would perform well with our point and shoot without costing the earth and without weighing a ton.
We'll keep you updated on how it performs, or if you see any stellar underwater pics in our upcoming blogs then you can assume they were taken with it!
Reply to this yeah, the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW definitely is a recommendation, and the price is okay. in case you are looking for something really robust i can further recommend you those "action cameras" which you can also attach to your helmet, they are waterproof up to 15feet. they are good for video capturing, ...but not so much for taking the best pictures.
Reply to this The Olympus camera is not very good, is not clear. Maybe I bought the pixel is not very high, not a professional for a photographic camera.
Reply to this I've just purchased a red Panasonic TS3/FT3, should arrive by the end of the week. Wanting to use it during snorkelling.
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